Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Water torture is an excellent method, as the human body is composed of sixty to seventy percent water, and we can't live without water—it leaves no wounds.

Luke gained experience practicing on Quentin Hargis.

Luke looked at Quentin Hargis, "Actually, I'm a good person, and I don't want to do this to you. Can we talk openly and honestly?"

"Yes, I'll listen to you."

"Why did you attack me?"

"I was afraid you would call the police to catch me."

"Was it you who stole the Porsche 911?"

"It was me who stole it."

"Why steal the car?"

"I saw Billie Warwick getting out of the Porsche that day and I got really angry. In a fit of rage, I just stole the car."

"Why couldn't the police track the location of the car?"

"I removed the car's tracking device."

"Do you have a history of theft?"

"Yes, I had made mistakes in the past, but I hadn't done anything for a long time."

"So, what made you return to your old ways? To take revenge for a friend?"

Quentin Hargis hesitated a moment, "No... I just felt betrayed by Billie Warwick."

Luke pressed, "What is your relationship with Billie Warwick?"

"Two months ago, Billie Warwick and Redo Gate had an argument; both were furious, and it got pretty ugly. Then Redo Gate drove away.

I was there too, and it was hard to get a taxi from that place, so I thought of giving Billie Warwick a ride home.

But she refused to go back to Redo Gate's place...

So I took her to a hotel instead.

That day... I had been drinking too... and ended up playing poker in a daze," Quentin Hargis shook his head slightly, with a sigh. "We met a few more times after that; it was amazing...

I know it was wrong, but love is uncontrollable..."

Luke kept pressing, "What exactly did you see that night? Describe it in detail."

"I knew Redo Gate was on the late shift that day, so I thought I'd arrange a date with Billie Warwick. I even bought her a gift, hoping to surprise her...

But instead, I got a surprise—she was with a wealthy guy, a superstar.

When I saw Danny Carter step out of the driver's seat, I recognized him. Who wouldn't recognize a star player from the Los Angeles football team?

That's when I knew I had lost, and I had lost utterly.

I was enraged; I felt cheated," Quentin Hargis's eyes reddened. "Watching them go into the house, I couldn't control my rage and ended up stealing his car."

"You were very angry then?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you beat up Danny Carter instead of stealing his car?"

"I had thought about giving him a beating, but Danny Carter is wealthy, and if I hit him, his lawyers would surely put me behind bars.

Plus, Redo Gate would find out about me and Billie Warwick...

After all, he is my friend, and I hadn't yet figured out how I would face him."

Luke was somewhat speechless, thinking, now you start to show loyalty?

Quentin Hargis continued, "At the time, I figured if I could steal the car in time, it would disrupt Billie Warwick and Danny Carter's date, and that would solve everything."

Luke laughed, "Too bad you were too slow at stealing the car."

Quentin Hargis sighed, "I never expected they would be in such a rush... utterly shameless."

"Where is the Porsche 911 now?"

"Worried it would get traced by the police, I hid it in an abandoned factory where few people go. I was planning to wait a while before dealing with it.

I can take you to find the car, but please don't hand me over to the police," Quentin Hargis pleaded.

Luke kept staring at his face; he still looked panicked and fearful. Under such strong emotions, it was hard for Luke to tell if he was lying.

However, his statement did match up with Little Black's investigation.

Previously, Luke had asked Little Black to investigate the car's whereabouts, but Little Black couldn't find any relevant information.

Instead, it corroborated with Quentin Hargis's claim; since the Porsche 911 hadn't been sold yet, naturally, Little Black couldn't find any leads on the car.

Luke asked, "Did you touch anything else in the car?"

"I took apart the car's tracking device."

"Anything else?"

"I also took cash, documents, and the dashcam."

"Where are the documents and the dashcam?"

"I put them in the tin cabinet in the garage junk pile."

Luke scanned the garage and quickly found the tin cabinet. After opening it, he discovered the dashcam and documents.

Luke checked the contents of the dashcam; the videos hadn't been deleted.

Luke copied a version onto his tablet and asked, "With things having turned out this way, how do you want to resolve this?"

Quentin Hargis said with a tremor in his voice, "I'll follow your lead."

"You have two choices. First, I call the cops and have you arrested for car theft.

Second, you put the dashcam back in the car and park the Porsche 911 at the location I specify.

I'll act as if this never happened."

"I'll take the second option; I'll put the car where you tell me to."

"Park the car near the Kuma Building on Stevie Street within an hour."

"No problem, I promise to get it done."

"Good.

I know you'll harbor resentment..."

Luke hadn't finished speaking when Quentin Hargis cut him off, "nonono, I don't, and I wouldn't dare.

As long as you let me go, I'll act as if nothing ever happened."

"I can sense your sincerity, which I believe reflects your true thoughts right now.

But people change, forgetting pain once the wound heals.

No matter, I'll give you a chance for revenge." Luke finished cleaning the scene, opened the garage door,

"We'll meet again."

Luke wasn't worried about the other party calling the cops. First, the person had stolen a Porsche 911, was not clean himself, and wouldn't dare make a rash call to the police.

Second, even if he did call the police, it would be futile. There were no clear marks on him that could prove Luke had hurt him.

Luke had been careful while tying him up, removing his jacket and trousers and using the clothes to bind his arms and legs, so the marks on his wrists and legs weren't obvious.

The bruises on his abdomen couldn't be linked to Luke either.

Without sufficient evidence, even if he went to the police, there would be no way to convict Luke, and given the disparity in their statuses, the police and judge would most likely believe Luke's word, even potentially charging him with false accusations or assaulting an officer.

After doing all this, Luke drove around the city for half a loop, disposing of a few more things before meeting up with Daisy to turn in the task at the Marriott Hotel.

Upon reaching the hotel, and having passed an hour, Luke called John's phone.

"Hey, Luke, I heard you're on vacation. How's it going?"

"Quite eventful. How about you?"

"I'm on the night shift today, just starting. Fancy a drink tomorrow morning?"

"No, I'm not in the habit of drinking in the morning. You dare disturb my sleep, and you're a dead man.

Who's your partner tonight?"

"Lucy. What's up?"

"I have a gift for you guys."

"What gift?"

"Head to the Kuma Building near Stevie Street now, and you'll find out."

"Heh, quite mysterious. It's got me a little excited."

"Remember to buy me a drink next time we're out at night." Luke hung up the phone.

Daisy asked, "Are you having them catch the car thief?"

Luke glanced at his watch, "If all goes well, the car thief should have already parked the car at the specified location and left.

John won't encounter him, nor will he have the chance to catch him.

I don't usually take things to the extreme."

Luke indeed had no intention of arresting Quentin Hargis. If Quentin Hargis were caught, he might lash out at Luke, accusing him of assault.

While Luke was confident he could clear the suspicion, there was no need to draw trouble to himself.

There were many ways to deal with a small fish like Quentin Hargis, and even inflicting a thousand damage to the enemy at the cost of a hundred to himself would be considered a loss to Luke.

He wasn't worth it.

Luke's goal was to find the contents of the dashcam to clear Danny Carter's name and smoothly collect his own commission.

Now that he had obtained the dashcam video and successfully completed the mission, there was no need for further action.